It's Hard Out There For a Nerd

The newest Sony Playstation comes out and it's bad enough that Sen. John Edwards is trying to cut in front of you at the Wal-Mart line and snag your machine, but then someone tries to shoot you:

PUTNAM, Conn. — On the first day the much anticipated PlayStation 3 hit shelves in stores across the country, two armed thugs in Connecticut targeted game seekers with fat wallets, shooting one person waiting in a Wal-Mart line who refused to give up money, authorities said.

Police were still searching for the suspects.

The two tried to rob of line of people waiting to buy the new gaming console early Friday. They confronted a "bunch of people who were in line" outside a Wal-Mart store shortly after 3 a.m. and demanded money, said Lt. J. Paul Vance, a spokesman for the state police. The new Sony consoles are selling for around $500 to $600.

"One of the patron's resisted. That patron was shot," Vance said.

The two gunmen apparently fled, and the victim was taken to University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester. There was no immediate word on the victim's condition.

Short supplies of the PS3 and strong demand led to lines of buyers, some waiting for days, outside stores across the country. Sone promised only 400,000 systems, which went on sale at midnight.

I'm surprised more people didn't go after these soft targets, though I imagine a nerd can be pretty feisty if faced with the loss of his Playstation.